Many thanks to Posthuman Blues for drawing my attention to this wonderful Thai commercial

I don’t think I could have asked for a better story on my first day back than this from The Daily Grail

Is this why Neighbours makes me so mellow and relaxed?

A demon dog haunts Dublin according to psychic investigator Martin Black. The demon dog moniker seems to be a bit of an exagerration on the part of the Dublin People newspaper.  It just seems to be a rather sad, ghost dog.

In Moscow people have every reason to fear dogs. The city is overrun with feral canines.

Interestingly, 10 years ago Russia’s wild dog population was involved in a strange story.  A little boy named Ivan Mishukov was apparently protected by a pack of dogs. Learn about Ivan and other feral children at FeralChildren.com.

Well, I’m back and eager to get back bringing you the best and most interesting stories on the strange and unusual. It will cover a range of topics. So whether you’re a hardened James Randi-loving sceptic, an orthodox Fortean or just enjoy a little bit of bizarre you should find something to interest you on Enigma Street.

So while I was laid up what did I miss? Here in the UK the biggest Fortean story was probably the UFO flap with multiple witnesses in different locations.

Meanwhile, in Russia a team from the Centre for Fortean Zoology are tracking the almasty (which I just realised I have been spelling wrong). Keep up to date at the expeditions blog.

Speaking of our Russian friends: I also missed the anniversary of one of my all time favourite Fortean events.  30th June was the 100th anniversary of the Tunguska explosion.

Oh, and some strange faceless people turned up in London. Sadly, not Autons promoting the series finale of Dr Who (Dr Who fever has gripped the nation).  They seem to be selling cars (Lotus to be precise).

Here they attend Kim Cattrall’s event at Harrods.

It’s good to be back!

On June 11th, 323 BCE Alexander the Great died.

The cause of death?

Well, no one’s really sure. And today it remains one of history’s most enduring medical mysteries.

Learn more over at author Graham Phillips’ page.

Today is Marilyn Monroe’s birthday.  Had she lived the tragic star would have been 82 today.

But some people claim that Marilyn still makes herself known in ghostly form.

And she remains a popular target for trance mediums.

Leave the poor woman alone!

Monroe died in 1962. The cause of death was “acute barbiturate poisoning” and it was ruled a suicide.

But dark rumours still surround Monroe’s death.  Some people believe she was actually murdered and the tragic star’s death is sometimes even linked to the alleged Kennedy assassination conspiracy.

Whatever the truth, lets remember her in her prime and anyone interested in the weird wide world would do well to remember the occasional truth in this quote from Ms Monroe herself:

“It’s all make believe, isn’t it?”

I’ve already covered animals who paint. But today I want to talk about other extremely talented animals. And its all in honour of a border collie called Gin.

Any non-UK readers (and to be honest probably quite a few British readers) won’t have the faintest idea who Gin is.

Well, Gin (and owner Kate) are finalists in tomorrow’s Britain’s Got Talent. And if there is any justice in the world they will win the £10 000 prize money and the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance*. So get voting!

But, my all time favourite talented animal was a horse named Clever Hans.

When talking and writing about Clever Hans the first thing animal behaviourists and historians will say is: “Oh, Clever Hans! He turned out not to be so clever after all”.

Read his story and decide if you think Clever Hans was clever or not.

Clever Hans was a popular attraction in Germany, where he appeared to be able to solve maths problems, read and generally demonstrate himself to be smarter than the average horse.

The psychologist Oskar Pfungst was unconvinced, and in his role as a 1900s James Randi he undertook a scientific investigation into Hans and his alleged intelligence.

He found no fraud. But Pfungst concluded that, far from performing these intellectual tasks himself, Hans was in fact responding to subconscious clues from the people around him.

This is the point where people say Hans wasn’t so clever. But I have to say I think he was robbed! He may not have been actually doing maths problems, but he was picking up on subtle clues. Similarly, Gin (much as I love him) is not actually dancing in time to the music - he’s picking up on clues from his owner (who seems a pretty good dancer herself).

Anyway, Pfungst’s research remains important today. Especially, in discussions of Facilitated Communication, a controversial technique sometimes used to communicate with severely disabled children.

*Although, personally, I also have a soft spot Bollywood-Michael Jackson Fusion Dance act Signature.

Over at Cryptomundo Loren Coleman is asking what we’ve all been wondering: “Bigfoot and YouTube: Worthless Combo?”

There have been a spate of shaky hand-held hominid films lately.

Join the debate at Cryptomundo.com

Personally I want more monster videos like this*:

*And fewer half-hearted hoaxes

Enigma Street’s first commentator has a great new blog, recounting his experiences with a mystery

hominid in Ontario.

Visit Imagine Bigfoot and check it out!

Mystery big cat spotted in wolds! - Horncastle News

For several years witnesses have been reporting big cats in Lincolnshire.

The latest sighting took place on the 21st May. A woman saw a large black “cat-like” animal

A genuine out of place feline cryptid? Or just a case of mistaken identity?

You can vote online at the Horncastle News site.

(Via There’s Something in the Woods)